


Hyuck's Guide to Dealing With Idiots

by Xingforyou



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Andante - Freeform, Crossover, Dokgo Rewind, Heck ton of swearing, Humour, M/M, Not really sekai but most definitely sekai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 09:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17465342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xingforyou/pseuds/Xingforyou
Summary: In the same way that Hyuck doesn't go looking for someone's face to pummel with his fist, it's not like Shikyung invites people to come beat his ass... But sometimes people are just shit at reading the signs.Dokgo Rewind x Andante crossover





	Hyuck's Guide to Dealing With Idiots

_“Get in there, you idiot. Ah shit, these new kids always gotta mess things up don’t they?”_

The cigarette in Kang Hyuck’s hand fell away from his mouth, mid-drag. The shout had come from the entrance of the alleyway, loud and aggressive. Sure enough, a couple of bodies rounded the corner a second later.

Hyuck counted four people – one who was being pathetically hauled by his jacket, feet dragging helplessly on the floor.

He sighed. Of all the fucking alleyways in the city, why did people _always_ manage to find their way into this one?

“I didn’t see anything! I promise!” Cried out the victim in a panicked voice.

“Yeah, yeah whatever, just shut up will you? God, your voice is fucking annoying.” It was the same voice as the one from earlier; its reedy pitch matching perfectly to a greasy looking guy with cropped hair and beady eyes. Clearly the leader of the trio – he slammed the boy he had been dragging into the nearest wall, hands snatching up the lapels of his school blazer.

“I saw you, you little shit. You witnessed the whole thing. Didn’t anyone ever tell you it isn’t nice to lie? Huh?” The boy against the wall gave a feeble struggle before having the wind knocked out of him by another rough shove. “I’m warning you now newbie, don’t get your ass involved in my business again, or that pretty face of yours ain’t gonna look so pretty anymore, you hear me?”

Hyuck frowned in disapproval as he leaned back in his chair. Seriously, where was his friends when he needed them? Bon Hwan and Jae Wook had always been better at shooing away the pests. Damn bullies always caused a ruckus so needlessly… Thankfully, in this situation nothing looked as if it would turn too violent. Hopefully they’d just let the boy go and all be on their merry way within a couple of minut–

“Oi! You there!”

Hyuck snorted to himself. Who was he fucking kidding.

It was one of the bully subordinates who had noticed Hyuck sitting silently at the end of the alleyway, one finger pointed accusingly in his direction.

The leader whipped his head to look at him, eyes narrowing even further. Hyuck let out an amused huff at the sight – the kid looked a hell of a lot like a rat. The thin face, twitchy nose… Hyuck wouldn’t have been surprised to see whiskers.

Hehehe… Rat Boy.

“Hey idiot,” Rat Boy called with a sneer. “How long have you even been sitting there for? Get lost before I kick your ass.”

Hyuck, of course, didn’t move an inch, and there was a pause where the two just stared at each other, with neither breaking eye contact.

“Did you hear me dumbass? Or you want me to _beat_ it into your thick head?” Rat Boy sneered.

There was another pause, before Hyuck looked down at his lap and sighed. Pushing himself off the chair, he very slowly made his way to standing.

He raised the cigarette back to his lips, but didn’t move otherwise. “You know, I thought it would be common knowledge by now.”

Rat Boy – still holding onto the other kid to the wall – visibly tensed as he realised Hyuck hadn’t stood up to run away. “Ah fuck.” He cursed, wrenching his hands from the schoolboy so that he could fully face Hyuck. “You really _do_ want me to beat your ass, don’t you? _What_ should be ‘common knowledge’ you little shit?”

Taking his eyes off Rat Boy, Hyuck watched as the schoolboy they were threatening collapsed to the ground after being let go, any exits immediately blocked off by the other two bullies. From where he stood, Hyuck saw the boy shoot one final glare at his tormentors, before making the wise decision to keep his head down and stay put. Good. If he had tried to run away things would’ve gotten a hell of a lot messier. For everyone.

Hyuck shoved one hand in his pocket, and took another drag of his cigarette. Tearing his eyes away from the pitiful huddle on the ground, he said to Rat Boy, “I said it’s common knowledge to stay away from here, dumbass – it’s off limits. Tch, you should know that it’s dangerous here.”

“Off limits? Why would it be–” Rat Boy cut himself off in realisation. His eyebrows raised before he burst into laughter. “Just who the fuck do you think you are?” He looked over at his friends, snickering in amusement.

Hyuck took another drag, the smoke wafting around him in grey tendrils. Underneath the cover of the smoke, he rolled his eyes. “Dokgo.” Hyuck stated simply. “They call me Dokgo.”

“Dokgo? What is that… a Pokémon?” Rat Boy’s face twisted with a sneer. “You ain’t _shit,_ you little alley scum.”

Hyuck furrowed his brows in annoyance. He really, really wished that they would just _leave_. “Geez, you talk too much. Just get out of here or I’m gonna kick you in the face for being so annoying.”

All amusement fell off of Rat Boy’s face, his expression turned dark. “Alright that’s it. You asked for it, you bastard. I gave you enough warning anyway.”

Without taking his eyes off Hyuck, he raised a hand towards his two friends. “Beat this fucker to a pulp. Oh, and make sure the newbie doesn’t get away, I haven’t finished with him.”

Hyuck gave a small sigh. All he wanted was a quiet afternoon, yet here he was; friends late, alone in the alley, now about to beat up a bunch of fucking morons.

One of Rat Boy’s subordinates moved away from his friend and began advancing towards Hyuck, cracking his knuckles. Hyuck scoffed at the redundant flashiness.

 _Useless idiot,_ he thought to himself.

The boy was an average sized kid, matching Hyuck in height and probably weight. But there was literally nothing significant about him _or_ his fighting prep. He was just some ordinary schoolboy who could maybe throw a punch here and there. Hyuck decided that he wasn’t worth wasting any energy on. One or two hits should do the trick.

“Scared, Alley-boy?” The kid sneered.

Hyuck couldn’t be fucked answering. He didn’t even bother to drop his cigarette as the boy went in for the first swing.

The movement was slow and predictable, Hyuck had anticipated the boy would aim for his head and easily ducked out of the way. Stumbling on his feet and unbalanced by the momentum of his own arm, the bully quickly tried to regain his posture. “Ah, you little shit.”

“Mad?” Hyuck provoked him. Just for the fun of it.

The boy growled before swinging his fist again. Done toying, Hyuck swiftly dodged the punch before bringing his fist up to jab him in the stomach.

“ _Ku-huk_ ” The boy doubled over in pain, arms clutching at his midriff. Angrily, he swiped at Hyuck with one hand, blindly clutching at empty air. But Hyuck was already out of reach, another puff of smoke pooling from the corner of his mouth.

Before his opponent could even attempt another hit, Hyuck aimed a kick straight to the side of his head. There was a dull sound on impact, and another thud as he hit the ground. The boy was down instantly, groaning in pain and clutching his head in an attempt to stop the ringing through his brain. Hyuck stood over him, posture completely relaxed. He hadn’t even lifted a finger.

Hyuck stared down at him for a moment longer, before looking up towards Rat Boy. For a moment, he basked in the expression of shock the boy wore – jaw slack and eyes disbelieving.

“Anyone else?” He asked, not bothering to hide his smirk.

There was a low growl before the next bully began to charge at Hyuck, intent on revenge. This second boy was much taller and heavyset. With anger in his eyes, he came at Hyuck like an angry bull, large yet slow strides thudding towards the end of the alley.

He was going in for a low tackle, planning to use his weight like a battering ram. Hyuck watched it all happen in slow motion; the spread of the arms, the twist of expression, the bend of the knees.

Leaving the cigarette to hang between his lips, Hyuck calibrated his body for a smooth takedown.

 _Inhale_. Hyuck waited until his opponent was within reach.

 _Exhale_. With fast reflexes, he used his left hand to catch one incoming arm in a firm grip. And without disturbing its momentum of the arm, Hyuck jabbed the heel of his right hand – hard. Right into the bend of the elbow.

 _Inhale_. “ _AAARGH_ ” Came the cry of pain.

Hyuck quickly let go. He gave a merciful pause to allow the boy to clutch at his arm, before delivering a final blow to ensure that he stayed down for good.

“AAAR–”

_KA-THUD._

The boy dropped to the ground like an oversized sack of potatoes.

A tuneless duet of groans sounded from the fallen bullies.

Hyuck rolled his right wrist once, unable to hide the look of amusement on his face. He couldn’t say that he enjoyed it… but _man_ was fighting good to release tension. The mild increase of adrenaline was working harmoniously with the nicotine in his system, making Hyuck feel really fucking good. The angry, yet incredulous look on Rat Boy’s face added to the fire.

To be completely honest – he hated it. Hated his body’s reaction to violence, but it was hard to shake off.

Hyuck looked down at the two boys he had taken out, and watched as they rolled around in pain. The _power_ he felt was ridiculous, but Hyuck had learnt long, long ago the danger of it. He had seen so many fuckers like these guys get high on the feeling, had experienced himself the rush of it all. But as usual, his self-control won over – his logic coming back in waves.

_They could report you to the police._

They wouldn’t. Because even for a spineless bunch of morons – they still had too much pride.

_At least they’ll return to school with nothing but a few bruises._

Yep. They’ll probably say they fell down the stairs, and just like that go back to their studies.

_To them you’re nothing more than a low-class, middle-school dropout._

And that. Was always the truth.

The momentary high wore off rapidly, and Hyuck sighed. He looked back at Rat Boy. “You should probably take them to the hospital.”

But if looks could kill, then Hyuck would be dead ten times over – murdered by the ridiculously venomous glare of Rat Boy.

For someone who was not easily swayed by anything, Hyuck couldn’t deny the shiver that went down his spine. The look on Rat Boy’s face was freakishly familiar – it was one of fierce _loyalty,_ and that was what was unnerving Hyuck. He looked like an alpha wolf standing over injured pack members… And Hyuck was the one responsible.

“You motherfucker.” Rat Boy hissed.

Shrugging off his jacket as he walked towards Hyuck, his expression was hard. “This isn’t over yet. It’s _my_ turn, Alley-scum.”

Hyuck quickly swallowed whatever second thoughts he was having and sneered back at him. “Whatever, I’ll take you down too.”

But even as he walked, it was obvious why Rat Boy was the leader. The evidence was even in the way he stood; weight on the balls of his feet, ready to shift quickly; the loss of tension in his shoulders to allow mobility.

The tension crackled, neither backing down. Hyuck adjusted his stance and dropped his cigarette to the ground. The more he focussed, the quicker he could get this over and done with.

Without warning, Rat Boy went in for the first few jabs, already moving faster than both of his friends had. Of course, Hyuck dodged all of them with practiced agility, eyes always scanning, always watching for an opening or weakness.

He waited for a break in the offence, then went in for his shots.

Rat Boy skilfully dodged the first strike, but misjudged the second, clocking a fist to the jaw. Both boys reeled back for a moment, Rat Boy with one hand coming up to touch at his face – his split lip.

He spat at the ground, his saliva flecked with blood.

“I _hate_ shitheads like you.” He hissed towards Hyuck, voice dripping with poison.

Hyuck took the opportunity to level his breath. “Why?” He asked back. “Why do you hate me?”

Rat Boy growled and lunged forward again. “Because you _think_ – you’re _better_ – than _everyone_ – _else_.” Each phrase was punctuated with one hit. Hyuck ground his teeth and blocked every one of them. But it wasn’t the physical hits that reverberated through his body. He could feel the annoyance bubble inside of him, hot and heavy – rising in challenge to Rat Boy’s words.

“You’re nothing but a stupid street thug.” He continued.

“At least I’m not a fucking loser who beats people up for money.” Hyuck hissed back.

“At least I _have_ money you _dipshit_.”

“What do you know about me? Huh?”

Hyuck got in one, two punches. The first to the stomach, another to his face. The anger always made him less accurate, but it also made him hit a hell of a lot harder.

Rat Boy staggered backwards, centre of balance completely thrown off. He coughed, and wiped the blood from his split lip. Chances were that his skull was ringing, and Hyuck was frankly unnerved that he was still standing. But Rat Boy didn’t back down.

Hyuck’s eyes narrowed as Rat Boy let out a weak chuckle and continued to scorn. “At least I have a fucking life.” He coughed again. “And at least I’ll get a job when I’m out of school.”

Hyuck tightened his fists. He _knew_ what the bully was doing – pushing at all his insecurities. But somehow it was still getting to him. Rat Boy looked up and sneered. “What about you? You’ll be struggling to live off a minimum wage.”

“Shut up.” Hyuck warned.

“Shits like you have nothing. No life, no friends, no fucking _loyalty_ to anything.”

“I said shut the _FUCK UP_.”

No longer clear headed, Hyuck went in for an end all. He was fucking done with this shit. They boys clashed half way, but the fight was one-sided from the beginning. Hyuck was fuelled by an ancient fire which had been ignited once again, like a dragon woken from slumber. And for the first time in a while, Hyuck let the punches come from emotion – this was no longer just physical self-defence.

He’d show this fucker _why_ he had his life thrown away in the first place.

 _Violence_.

He gave up whatever self-control he had been trying to conjure. What was the point in controlling the beast anyway? Hyuck let his fists fly, let his body do the talking, let his punches take revenge.

Without realising it, Hyuck had pinned Rat Boy against a wall. He looked down at the bloodied face and scowled. What a worthless piece of shit. He couldn’t wait to beat his fucking face to nothing more than a pulp–

_“STOP!”_

Hyuck’s head snapped up.

“Please, _stop_.”

It was the boy from earlier. The victim – the one that was _being_ bullied by this motherfucker. Hyuck turned his head, eyes wild and expression so intense that the boy gasped and immediately took a step back. Hyuck’s fist was frozen mid-swing, his other hand still twisted up in front of Rat Boy’s no longer white shirt.

Slowly, Hyuck felt his body begin to calibrate with his mind. He felt his chest heaving, and registered the sting across his knuckles.

 “It’s ok, you won.” The boy’s voice began to pierce its way through the fog in Hyuck’s brain. “You can let him go now.”

Hyuck stared at the kid disbelievingly. What the fuck? What was he trying to do?

Taking advantage of the distraction, Rat Boy wrenched himself free of Hyuck’s grip with all the energy he had left.

“ _Motherfucker_.” He spat out.

Hyuck’s hands dropped like weights, and his eyes tore away from the new kid.

Like a pin to a balloon, Hyuck’s aggression popped and withered in an instant. With the fight now utterly drained from him, he just watched silently as Rat Boy made his way over to his two friends – one who was still clutching his head. Hyuck didn’t move, didn’t speak, as he watched Rat Boy clapped each of them on the shoulder, and assisted them to their feet.

As they stood up, the two friends both peeked around Rat Boy to steal a glance at Hyuck, expressions filled with fear. But as the trio limped away, out of the alleyway with arms around each other, Rat Boy never took a single look back.

Maybe Hyuck was glad. He never wanted to see that face ever again in his life.

Silence filled out the atmosphere in the absence of grunts, groans and hisses.

Physically, Hyuck’s muscles were fired up and tense, but the adrenaline was fading quickly and he was left feeling spent. Slowly, he made his way to his chair and flopped into it, giving in to its support and taking all the weight of his feet. He released a massive breath and closed his eyes. The emotional damage had taken much more of a toll on him.

_Nothing but a stupid street thug._

The truth _always_ fucking hurt didn’t it? God if only Bonhwan and Jaewook were here. He could really use a fucking booster right now. Anything to drag him out of this dreadful shithole.

“T-Thank you.” Came a small voice.

Oh right.

He was still here.

Hyuck cracked open one eye. The boy was standing awkwardly, shifting his weight between his feet. Open a little more inspection, Hyuck noted that the boy wasn’t hurt – there wasn’t a scratch on him. He also took notice of the boy’s very new blazer, a cleaner, sharper version of his bully schoolmates.

Hyuck closed both eyes again. “S’okay.” He replied, voice still tense.

There was a small pause as Hyuck waited for the boy to leave – but of fucking course, he decided to ask instead, “Are you hurt?”

Hyuck sighed and opened both eyes. “No.”

“O-Oh.” The boy started again. “Well… that’s good.”

Hyuck turned his head slightly and gave the boy a questioning look.

But he didn’t just stop there. “You’re a very good fighter.”

Hyuck gave a small hum in acknowledgement and said nothing.

“My name is Shikyung. Lee Shikyung.” The more he talked, the quieter the boy’s voice got, clearly disheartened by Hyuck’s lack of response. Points for persistence Hyuck supposed.

Hyuck spent a while longer looking at this Shikyung kid, taking in the round eyes and soft features. Straight cut bangs fell long enough to partially hide his eyes, and despite his tall stature, the boy’s shoulders were folded in a manner that made him appear small.

No wonder he got picked on. So innocent he was practically bully fodder.

“Why did you stop me?” Hyuck asked bluntly.

Shikyung visibly froze. “Huh?”

“Why did you stop me from hitting him?” He sat up in his seat to properly face Shikyung. “What do you owe that dickhead?”

There was a moment of silence where Shikyung opened and closed his mouth, seemingly unable to find the correct words. Hyuck’s eyes continued to stare holes into the boy’s reddening face. “I… I just don’t think it’s right to beat someone up like that… Even an idiot like that guy…”

Hyuck clenched his jaw and looked away. An idiot like that guy deserved to be lying in a hospital bed.

“Why were they threatening you in the first place?” Hyuck asked instead.

“Uh, it was nothing serious. I just accidentally walked in on them beating up someone else.”

“And so you tried to stop them?”

Even before Shikyung shook his head, Hyuck knew the answer to the question. If Shikyung had tried to intervene, he would never be standing in front of Hyuck now – he would be in the hospital.

“Did you report them?”

Again, Shikyung shook his head in denial and Hyuck’s eyebrows raised at the unexpected response.

 _‘A coward and an idiot?’_ Was his first thought. Wow, maybe Hyuck had given way too much credit to this guy.

Then there was a low mumble that Hyuck’s ears barely caught, “And paint a target on my ass? Eomma has good enough aim as it is…” Shikyung murmured to himself. But Hyuck heard anyway.

And he fucking snorted.

A cloud of smoke erupted out through his nose and mouth in a sharp puff. But unfortunately, the inhale wasn’t quite as smooth, and Hyuck erupted in a coughing fit as he choked on whatever shit ended up going down the wrong airway.

Shikyung looked up in in mixed horror, both at the realisation that Hyuck had heard him and at the sight of the usually blank, stoic thug coughing out his fucking lungs.

“Uh, crap– are you ok?” The boy stammered.

_Cough, cough, cough._

After a few loud hacks, the cough began to wear off. Hyuck held up a hand to signal that he was fine. “Ah shit.” He said croakily.

He knocked on his own chest in an attempt to clear out any smoke. “Nearly made me choke to death.”

There was a pause, until Shikyung’s sheepish expression quickly morphed into one of mild offence at the accusation.

 “Hey,” Shikyung said without thinking, “I’m not the one burning my lungs as a sacrifice to _Satan_.”

Hyuck thought he had recovered… but as he choked on air for the second time he realised that apparently, he had not.

_COUGHcoughcoughcough._

Alarmed at what had just spewed from his own mouth, Shikyung ducked into a quick bow, eyes wider than saucers. “I-I’m sorry… again.”

“S’okay–” _Cough_. “–Not–” _Cough_. “–You.” Hyuck managed to choke out. Turning away from Shikyung, he brushed a hand through his greasy hair and tried to tamp down the humiliation he was experiencing right now. It was hard to ignore the heat coming from his cheeks – an unfortunate result of the choking. Man, how embarrassing. Something like this hadn’t happened since back in middle school on his first smoke.

“ _Yah! Kang Hyuck!_ ”

A loud shout came from the entrance of the alleyway. Turning to look, relief flowed through Hyuck at the sight of his two friends. Clearly he had been too busy hacking his lungs out to even notice the sound of their motorbikes. Hyuck cleared his throat once more for good measure, before shouting at the approaching couple, his voice a bit too hoarse. “Hey traitors, where have you been? I had to defend the fort all by myself.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? We got caught up in a biking race. Stop acting like we abandoned you, whiny shit.” Jaewook said dryly, wiping an oily hand through his blonde hair – leaving a streak of bike-grease behind.

“Oi, who’s your friend, Hyuck? I didn’t know you were messing with school kids?” Came the much, much louder voice of Bonhwan.

As they walked past, both boys stared unabashedly at Shikyung, Jaewook raising an eyebrow at Hyuck in question. Eyeing him carefully up and down, their apprehension became increasingly apparent as they inspected Shikyung’s incredibly new blazer and shiny shoes. Hyuck wasn’t surprised. It was pretty bad luck to any sort of school uniform around an alley like this one.

Shikyung seemed to shrink in on himself under the probing gaze of Hyuck’s friends, wilting at the judgement in their expressions. The boy looked like he was on the verge of saying something – most likely an introduction, but he was cut off by Hyuck. “He’s not my friend. Just some school kid whose business I accidentally got involved in. He’s harmless.” Shikyung shut his mouth.

As he talked, Hyuck held up his cigarette and eyed it weirdly, as if it would suddenly grow teeth and bite him. He came to the begrudging decision to dump it, dropping the Stick of Disappointment into the dirt. As he did, Hyuck imagined that he was crushing all traces of humiliation under the heel of his foot. He decided not to light another one… as much as he wanted to, it wasn’t worth the risk of repeating history.

Bonhwan whistled and pointed at the flecks of dry blood on Hyuck’s knuckles. “The other dude must be seriously messed up.”

“I must have split his lip.” Hyuck said absentmindedly as he inspected his fist. While the guilt weighed heavy in his gut, Hyuck couldn’t help but remember the insults Rat Boy had hurled at him…

After putting away his bike, Jaewook shot one last wary glance at Shikyung and eased himself into the chair next to Hyuck. He didn’t say anything, but Hyuck could see the cogs turning in his brain. Meanwhile, Bonhwan’s limitless curiosity and three-second attention span had already focussed on something else.

“Hyuck why are you all red?”

Hyuck froze.

“Uh….”

“Man, you look like you just ate my uncle’s spicy buldak, but like this time with extra chilli.”

And this time it was Shikyung who choked.

Jaewook and Bonhwan suddenly turned to look at the schoolboy, who was attempting to guise his shock with an awkward cough. But fuck, was Hyuck thankful for the distraction.

Jaewook and Bonhwan eyed Shikyung weirdly… again, before making eye contact with each other and shrugging. Maybe the dude was sick or some shit. Maybe his poor virgin lungs couldn’t cope with all the cigarette smoke in the air.

Hyuck quickly tried to change the subject. “So then… How was the race?” He adjusted the collar of his leather jacket, suddenly feeling a little stifled. But much to his misfortune, there was nothing he could do about his apparent redness.

A disappointed look suddenly crossed Jaewook’s face. He sighed and slumped in his seat. “We would’ve won… we _should_ have won. But the winner was some rich fuck showing off his new shiny motorbike toy.” He scoffed. “Stupid prick clearly doesn’t even need the prize money.”

Hyuck frowned. Shit like this always happened. Rich kids somehow always ended up on top, bottom feeders left to rot. Why would someone that stacked even compete in the first place? What a load of bullshit.

Bon Hwan groaned and tipped his head back. “Dammit I was really looking forward to buying lunch with all that prize money. I’m so _hungry_.”

“You fucking pig.” Jaewook snorted. “You’re always hungry.”

“Hey! Gotta keep fuel in the tank man.”

While the two began to bicker, Hyuck sighed quietly. There was no point complaining. Justice had always been a son of a bitch.

Turning his attention elsewhere, Hyuck began to silently observe Lee Shikyung.

Hyuck really should have kicked him out of the alleyway by now. Since when did Dokgo, infamous street thug, let random school kids hang around with him? Let alone some loser who was about to be beat up. In his brain, Hyuck could practically hear Jaewook saying _“Fuck man, you’ve gone soft.”_

Hyuck watched as Shikyung’s eyes flicked back and forth between the Bonhwan and Jaewook, his posture awkward. The boy’s hands were shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders tense and feet shuffling – no idea what to do with himself.

Eventually, Shikyung noticed the staring and the two locked eyes. The schoolboy instantly froze, looking very much like a deer in headlights. Hyuck challenged his eye contact but Shikyung quickly averted his gaze, embarrassed.

“This is why you have no money dipshit. Spending it all on food.”

“That’s why I _race_ , Choi. So that I can _win_ money. Not lose to some fucker who wipes his ass with money bills.”

Jaewook snorted instead of replying, sticking a fresh cigarette between his lips. Reaching his arm out, he offered a stick to the others. Unlike usual, Hyuck hesitated before shaking his head in decline. Looking away, he pretended not to see Jaewook’s expression, eyebrows raised as if to say, _‘First the school kid and now no smoke? What kind of saint decided to crawl up your ass today?’_ Jaewook moved his arm and offered the open box to Shikyung, who just firmly shook his head. “No, I’m good thanks.” He answered quietly but confidentially.

Jaewook shrugged and lowered the box. “Hey man, why don’t you have a seat? Hyuck not offer you one?” The smug look on his face irritated Hyuck, who knew full well that Jaewook was daring him to kick the boy out. But Hyuck didn’t make any move against him… just silently waved his arm at the empty chair next to him.

As Shikyung quietly shuffled over, Jaewook obnoxiously flicked open his lighter, snickering to himself at Hyuck’s expense.

“Hey kid. Shikyung is it?” The boy in question looked up from his new seat as Bonhwan suddenly addressed him. “You uh…. Don’t happen to have any money on you, do you? I mean, Hyuck _did_ save your ass and all, so the _least_ you could do would be to– _Ouch!_ ”

Bonhwan reached up to rub at his shoulder where Jaewook had hit. “That hurt, you motherfu-“

“Just ignore him. His brain lives in his stomach.” Jaewook said, giving a pointed look at Bonhwan.

“For fuck’s sake, can’t a man just be HUNGRY?”

And the two began to clash in yet another argument.

Amidst the sparking chaos, Hyuck noticed Shikyung risking another glance back at him. He watched as Shikyung peeked out from beneath his bangs, eyes trailing up from Hyuck’s worn shoes, up the old jeans and leather jacket… before meeting the signature intensity of the Kang Hyuck gaze. Startled once again, Shikyung flushed and looked away, just before he could see the small smirk on Hyuck’s face.

 _‘Cute_.’ He said to himself. Maybe this was why Shikyung hadn’t been kicked out yet… there was certainly no denying the how endearing the innocence was.

Meanwhile, the heated discussion between Jaewook and Bonhwan began to escalate.

“The girl was looking at _me_ , you blind piece of shit.”

“Well then she’s the blind one, coz’ no one would waste their time staring at your ugly ass.”

“Bullshit. You’re just too scared to admit that I’m hotter than you.”

“Hah. Ever looked in a mirror lately?”

“Motherfucker–”

“Hey, Shikyung.” Bonhwan called out spontaneously. Attention turned to the school boy, who looked alarmed at the sudden turn in conversation. Hyuck continued to watch silently, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Y-Yes?”

“Got any eye problems?”

“Um… N-No? I’m wearing my contacts today…”

“Great. Then who do you think is more attractive? Me or Jaewook?”

Hyuck stifled a laugh at the confusion in Shikyung’s face. It was an expression that Hyuck was familiar with – one purely reserved for first-time encounters with Bonhwan’s spontaneity. “More… attractive?”

“Yeah, you know – who’s better looking, hotter, more handsome?”

The way Shikyung flicked his eyes towards Hyuck, was suspiciously _deliberate_. But as quickly as it came, Shikyung looked away once more – only this time with slightly redder cheeks. Hyuck blinked. Glancing vaguely at the two other boys, Shikyung pretended to assess their features before ducking his head in embarrassment. “I-I don’t know… I can’t pick.”

Once again, his gaze brushed towards Hyuck, even with his head tilted down. Hyuck’s smirk slowly fell, he was confused. The intention in Shikyung’s look was so… suspicious?

“Aw, come on man! We won’t be offended.” Bonhwan urged.

“Yeah, I’m sure Bonhwan won’t be offended when you choose me– _ow_!”

HANG ON one second, did _Shikyung_ mean to say that he thought _Hyuck_ was the most attracti–?

“UHM, how about you _askKangHyuck_?” Shikyung’s voice had raised in pitch, his cheeks getting redder by the second.

Like seriously, what the fuck? Hyuck wasn’t even one of the options?

Two pairs of eyes turned expectantly to Hyuck, who could only stare back at them blankly – brain still processing information.

“Uhhh…” He started intelligently.

“Ah forget about it. Hyuck has shit taste anyways.”

Hyuck snapped out of his stupor. “Hey! Since when?”

“Since forever? Dude you wouldn’t recognize a nice pair of boobs even if they were shoved right in your face.”

Hyuck grimaced slightly. “First off, there’s this thing called _personal space_ ; and second off, a pair of tits has _nothing_ to do with my opinion on which one of you I think is uglier.”

“For fuck’s sake, this is why we didn’t ask you in the first place. Just forget it man, don’t worry about it.”

Hyuck huffed. “Whatever; girls are too much stress anyways.”

Jaewook sighed, tilting his head backwards. “I agree with you – but she was still hot.”

Bonhwan just hummed dejectedly.

The atmosphere settled as the conversation died. The boys became lost in their own thoughts, and the muffled sound of peak hour traffic filled the silence. Distractedly, Hyuck followed the trail of smoke that curled from Jaewook’s cigarette, watching as the lazy tendrils floated towards the dimming sky. He noticed Shikyung out the corner of his eye, fiddling with the end of his jacket, but making no effort to leave.

“Shikyung.”

Round, brown eyes looked up questioningly at Hyuck. “Yes?”

“Go home.”

The bambi eyes just blinked in response. “Pardon?”

“Go home. It’s getting late.”

Shikyung hesitated. “Oh…. Yes…”

But still. He didn’t move. Hyuck sat up in his seat, an eyebrow raised at the other boy. “Something wrong?”

Shikyung visibly swallowed and his eyes flicked nervously away from Hyuck’s. “Um… I’m kind of…” He trailed off into a mumble that Hyuck couldn’t make out.

“Can’t hear you.”

“I-I” Shikyung cleared his throat. “I don’t know how to get home.”

Hyuck gave one massive internal sigh. Of _fucking_ course. Suddenly the pristine school uniform and shiny shoes, the bullying, the cluelessness – it all made sense. “You’re new. Aren’t you.” He didn’t pose it as a question. “Just moved to Seoul.”

The small nod was confirmation.

Jaewook exhaled roughly, smoke spewing from his nose. “Then just use a map or something. This is Seoul man, the buses run literally all the time.”

“I don’t have a smartphone.”

From beside Hyuck, Bonhwan started snickering quietly. Lee Shikyung was a walking fucking disaster, wasn’t he?

“Where do you live?” Hyuck asked.

“On the eastern border of the district. I-I can’t quite remember the street.”

There was a moment of pause, where everyone just turned to look at Hyuck. It was common knowledge to his friends that Hyuck lived in the next district over – across the border from where Shikyung supposedly lived. Jaewook raised an eyebrow as if to say, _Well? Go on then._ Hyuck glared back at his friend, _Don’t tell me what to do._

But after a few moments of deliberation he caved anyways.

“Eastern border, huh? I live in that direction. You can hitch a ride with me.” He sighed. “It’s late anyways, so I should head back now.”

Like a switch had been flicked, Shikyung’s eyes lit up in relief. “Really? You’ll take me home?” A hand quickly shot up to cover his mouth, cheeks flushing at the rudeness in his own tone. “I-I mean, thank you. Thank you so much!” Shikyung bowed hurriedly.

Hyuck brushed him off wordlessly, making his way to standing.

The others weren’t quite as thankful. Bonhwan sat up in protest and said, “Wait but we literally just got here.”

Hyuck shrugged in apology, making his way over to his motorbike. “Sorry, but I’ll probably be nagged if I don’t go home soon. I’ll be here tomorrow anyway.” Jaewook scoffed quietly but didn’t say anything.

“Oh.” Bonhwan sighed dejectedly, “Alright, man. See you tomorrow then.” Hyuck saluted him with two fingers in response. He wheeled his bike towards the entrance and returned Jaewook’s fist bump on the way. “Bye loser.” His friend said with a smirk. “Don’t drop the cargo on the way.”

Hyuck twisted his fist into a crude gesture. But Jaewook only snickered in return.

“See you, Shikyung! Nice to meet you kid.” Bonhwan called out, and for some reason, Hyuck was truly relieved that the tone was genuine. Looking over his shoulder, he gave his friend a thankful smile.

“Yes, nice to meet you too.” Shikyung ducked his head. He awkwardly shuffled, unsure of where to go before he quickly turned around and scurried after Hyuck.

Neither Hyuck nor Shikyung noticed the two boys behind them share a knowing smirk.

“He’s so fucking whipped.”

 

-

 

Hyuck passed Shikyung the spare helmet he had found lying around the alley, and noticed the apprehensive way that the boy was eyeing his bike.

“Is it safe?” Shikyung asked quietly.

Hyuck wasn’t too sure on how to answer, so his immediate response was to just shrug. “Haven’t had an accident so far.”

Apparently, this wasn’t a very good response, because Shikyung began to look even more nervous. He started to worry his plump lip with his teeth, fingers fiddling uncertainly with the helmet strap.

“Uhh…” Hyuck started. “I mean, if you really don’t want to then I could just give you some directions for the bus.”

Shikyung turned to look at him, and _holy shit_ , he looked like a fucking anime character with eyes that round. “Oh no, it’s ok. I think.”

Not able to think of a suitable reply, Hyuck decided to just get on and leave Shikyung to sort out his shit. Swinging a leg over, he settled comfortably into his seat and subtly continued to watch Shikyung through his side mirror. He watched as the boy lingered for a moment more, before a steely sort of look crossed his features and he took a deep breath. With a newfound determination, Shikyung marched up towards the bike.

Only to hesitate once again just before he got on.

Hyuck groaned inwardly.

“What do I to hold on to?”

Looking over his shoulder, Hyuck said, “Anywhere you want to I guess. The side, the back… _me_? I suppose?” He trailed off awkwardly, mentally slapping himself for such a weird answer.

_Who even suggests that, you fucking idiot._

Trying to ignore the blush which began to heat his cheeks, Hyuck turned away and reached up to put on his helmet.

_Geez, could the kid just get on already??_

Eventually, Hyuck felt the bike dip under the weight of the new passenger, and felt the warmth of another’s body heat on his back. Giving a little puff of relief, he flexed his wrists over the handlebars, eager to get moving.

A look through his mirror confirmed that Shikyung had put on his helmet, and a closer look in the mirror confirmed that Shikyung was holding on (extremely tight) to the sides of the bike. Satisfied, Hyuck nudged the kickstand and started the engine. There was no more reason for delay.

Unlike usual, Hyuck made a more cautious acceleration, super aware of the nervous energy emanating from behind. Regardless, as the bike picked up speed, Hyuck’s passenger let out a muffled gasp. Quickly peeking over his shoulder, Hyuck was relieved to see Shikyung still in his seat. Good news: at least he hadn’t fallen off yet.

Eventually, Hyuck slowed at the next intersection and prepared to turn onto the main road. Cars now sped past in front of them, a heavy stream being joined by another drop of water. Hyuck smirked to himself. This was always the best part.

_Hold on tight, kiddo._

With a flashy yet redundant rev, Hyuck zoomed into traffic, almost immediately switching two lanes over just for the heck of it. Pressing on the accelerator, he kept picking up speed; matching the speed of the cars…. surpassing the speed of the cars….

With the sound of the roads roaring in his ears, and the wind rushing past, Hyuck missed the shaken gasps coming from behind him. Not _everyone_ on the bike was enjoying the thrill of the ride. What Hyuck _didn’t_ miss though, was the pair of arms which very suddenly wrapped themselves around his midriff.

Shocked, Hyuck spared a glance down and saw to hands clasped tightly together at his waist, the knuckles nearly white. Eyes wide, he brought his focus back forwards.

_Well this is weird._

Trying to come to terms with the fact that he had now become some sort of cuddle toy, Hyuck concentrated on driving for a few moments, unsuccessfully ignoring the electric feeling that shot up his spine. Shikyung’s embrace was really…. Warm? And it was kinda….. Nice??

Hyuck gulped. What the fuck was happening to him?

Hyuck was suddenly very _very_ aware of a sensation occurring along his back. A cool pressure pushed right in between his shoulder blades. Confused for only a second, it dawned on Hyuck what was happening. It was a kind of pressure that could only come from Shikyung resting his helmeted cheek right up against Hyuck.

He stopped breathing for a few moments, hyperaware of every single point of contact that he shared with Shikyung. The electricity travelling up his spine increased a few watts. His entire back was now blanketed in that heated contact, Shikyung pressed fully against him. And yet… Hyuck didn’t find himself uncomfortable from lack of personal space.

Indeed, what the _fuck_ was happing to him?

Hyuck felt his heartrate increase, and a flame ignited itself in the pit of his stomach. There was an image in his brain, of Shikyung clinging to him with his eyes screwed shut and arms wound tight. Hyuck let out a laugh, the sound immediately swallowed by the helmet and surrounding noise. It’s not that he was exactly laughing at Shikyung… but was more amused by the situation as a whole.

Invigorated by the weird spike of happiness, Hyuck pushed on the accelerator and zoomed his way down the main road, extra-conscious of Shikyung’s tightening embrace. And like that, the pair sped all the way home – tightly wound together.

And hey! At least this way Shikyung couldn’t fall off.

 

-

 

They successfully managed to reach Shikyung’s house after the boy had pointed the way with a shaky arm – thankfully remembering his way around the streets from closer up.

Pulling up outside the driveway, Hyuck brought the bike to a stop, killing the engine and dropping the kickstand. The silence was loud and heavy in the absence of traffic and engine noise, and Hyuck’s ears began to ring a little.

But sound wasn’t the only thing that disappeared as the bike stopped… Slowly, the hands in front of Hyuck began to unclasp and the pair of arms drew away from around him. Hyuck was unexplainably disappointed. It may have been his imagination, but the evening air suddenly felt chillier as Shikyung unplastered himself from his back.

The boys dismounted and took off their helmets wordlessly, and it wasn’t until Hyuck looked up and saw Shikyung’s messed up helmet hair that he gave a small smile. Ducking his head to hide it, he pretended to inspect something on the handlebars.

“Thank you so much for um, taking me home.” Shikyung said quietly. “Well, actually, thanks for everything… this afternoon.”

Hyuck swallowed. “Yeah… no worries.”

“You know… I just wanted to say that I’m really _really_ sorry. I didn’t mean to get, um….–”

“Chased into an alleyway and almost beat up?”

Shikyung looked down for a second. “Yeah, I guess.” He gave a nervous laugh. “S’not like it happens everyday.”

“But it could.” Hyuck said rather quickly. For a moment both Shikyung and Hyuck were taken aback by this response. “Uh… what I mean is… I think you should be more careful in the future.”

 _Holy shit_ Hyuck wanted to smack himself so badly.

Shikyung blinked those massive fucking eyes a few times. “Oh. Thank you– I mean… Yes, I will.”

Shikyung gave a small smile, and Hyuck pretended that the fish doing flips in his stomach didn’t exist. “Here’s your helmet. I-It was a fun ride.” The nervous giggle that Shikyung gave afterwards made Hyuck want to _run himself over_.

He swallowed. “No worries… Let me know if you ever want another ride.”

Shikyung’s eyebrows shot up.

 “I MEAN,” _cough_. “I mean, I’ll give you another ride – l-like back home. If you ever came over a-again.” Then under his breath: “ _Fuck_.”

But while Hyuck continued to get redder by the second, Shikyung just looked at him somewhat in awe. “D-Did you just… invite me back?”

 _Well, thank_ fuck _that’s what he decided to focus on._

“Uhh, yes? Sure, why not?”

Shikyung’s face suddenly lit up and Hyuck had to pretend like the entire sun didn’t just shine in his face. “Oh, that’s- that’s really nice of you. I just–” He looked down, a little embarrassed. “I just didn’t think that your friends liked me that much…”

Hyuck softened. “What, Bonhwan and Jaewook? Nah, they’re fine.”

But Shikyung didn’t look convinced. “Like, why would you guys want to hang out with someone like me?” He exhaled, defeated. “I’m just some loser newbie… Who the hell even gets beat up within the first few days?”

Hyuck swallowed, and out of nowhere he began to feel nervous. “Hey, Shikyung? For the record… You’re a nice kid. I know, me and my friends can be _dicks_ sometimes, but I promise that we  really didn’t mind you being there today.” He took a step towards Shikyung. The boy still looked unsure, and Hyuck took some time to think of what to say next. “So um, it’s interesting actually… because I think that things should be the other way around right now.”

Shikyung looked up questioningly.

“It’s just that… You were worried about _us_ wanting to hang out with _you_ , but in reality? Why would a school kid want to hang out with a group of lousy street thugs?” Hyuck’s voice was soft, and even he was surprised at how vulnerable he sounded.

He never mentioned it of course, but the whole day Hyuck had been struggling to get Rat Boy’s greasy little voice out of his head…

 

_‘Shits like you have nothing. No life, no friends, no fucking loyalty to anything’_

_‘You’re nothing but a stupid street thug...’_

A soft voice interrupted Hyuck’s thoughts. “I don’t think you’re lousy at all, Hyuck.” Shikyung said with quiet sincerity. He paused and mulled over his words for a second. “You know, I heard what that bully said to you today. And to be completely honest – I had no idea whether he was telling the truth or not. I mean, it’s kinda true you know? I always thought that street thugs were just a bunch of stupid, careless, evil bunch of people…”

While Hyuck did snort in good humour, on the inside he anxiously waited for the ‘but’.

“ _But_ , Hyuck! In just _one_ afternoon, you proved me and that dickhead very wrong.” Shikyung took a step closer. “Because if a group of street thugs can have more loyalty and honour than a bunch of idiotic school boys, then I would _much_ rather ‘waste’ my time with badass, street racing school dropouts.”

There was a beat of silence.

And then Hyuck couldn’t help himself. “No offence, but that sounds like a line from a shitty teen drama.”

Shikyung just blinked at him for a moment before erupting into snickers. “Oh god, you’re totally right.”

Hyuck grinned. “I mean, it’s good! It’s cute!”

“I sound like the female lead who finally falls in love with some badass street thug.”

Hyuck would deny everything, but Shikyung knew for a fact that he started giggling after that joke.

“Hyuck, I’m being serious though. I haven’t really made any friends so far… and I just really liked being with you and Bonhwan and Jaewook.”

Hyuck swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn’t think of an adequate response, so he hoped that a sincere smile would suffice. It was… quite nice to be held in such esteem. It was refreshing for a person to actually speak about him and his friends in a tone that was neither contempt nor fear.

For a few more moments, Hyuck continued to stare at Shikyung – taking in his gorgeously round eyes, button nose, cute lips…   

“Hey, Hyuck?”

Hyuck startled a little. “Yeah, what’s up Lee?”

“Go home.”

He snorted. “Mm, alright, then.”

Shikyung smiled, “Thanks again, for saving me today.” He added, “I think you are very cool and very badass even though you smoke enough to summon the Devil in that little alleyway.”

Hyuck snickered and matched Shikyung’s grin. “Whatever, you’re welcome.” Shrugging nonchalantly, he started to walk back to his bike, moving backwards so that he was still facing Shikyung. “You know, if you ever need saving again… you know which alley to go to.”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Good night, Lee Shikyung.”

“Good night, Kang Hyuck.”

He paused before getting on the bike. “Actually, I was thinking about it, and I believe you need to call me ‘hyung’.”

“Good night, Kang Hyuck.”

“Hey! Respect your seniors, kid.”

“Good night, Kang Hyuck….. _hyung_.”

Hyuck winked before slipping on his helmet. “Don’t forget it.”

 

-

 

“So… you took him home alright?”

“Yeah, didn’t drop him on the way?”

“…”

“…Did you at least get his number?”

“………”

“Holy fuck you _did_ , you sneaky little shit.”

 

 

 

  

**Author's Note:**

> So like, I started writing this an obscenely long time ago, and only now has it finally seen the light of day. I actually struggled a lot with how to pitch the dynamic between Hyuck and Shikyung, so please let me know what you think of their relationship. Thanks so much for reading!


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